Is Someone Using Your Blog Name To Get Free Products?
I recently woke up to an email in my inbox from a popular online baby store inquiring about the review products they sent to be feautured on Busy Mom for an infant safety segment, to someone (let’s call her Mary). I thought this email wasn’t intended for me or there was some mistake because 1) I have never heard of this Mary woman 2) I have never been in correspondence with this popular baby store 3) I do not have any other writers on Busy Mom.
I replied to the PR rep and stated that I did not know of this Mary person and if they could send me her email address or pitch, than I might be able to solve this misunderstanding somehow. Little did I know, it really was someone claiming to be working for me. The email stated my exact tagline and even included a list of items this woman wanted to review.
I then proceeded to chat with the PR rep to solve things. I really don’t understand how stupid some people can be. How do you possibly think you could get away with this? The PR rep sent me the address that the products were sent to and with some help from my ladies over at MomDot we were able to obtain: a screenshot of this woman’s house and how much it was worth, an address and phone number, Facebook profile and information on relatives’ time in jail. If we searched long enough I bet we could even find out her shoe size and favorite food. Ha.
Don’t ever mess with a mom blogger.
Most of the bloggers I talked to were livid, ready to take this woman to jail themselves. Here are some reactions on the forum which I was giving a play-by-play as things were unfolding: “How nice, find yourself a popular mom blogger, and throw yourself a fraudulent baby shower,” and
“Wow! Just wow! Another thing to make hard working review bloggers look bad. Ugh.” and “They might want to open a blog after this and pitch for some new pants, because I bet they are shitting in the ones they have right now.”
I was scared shitless because I don’t like confrontation, but I had some serious business to do. I called the woman on the phone number I found associated with her address. I think I caught her off guard because she admitted that she received the products and that was her email, but denied that she contacted the baby company. She claimed that a “family friend” used her name, email address and address to have some things sent to her house because she was in the process of moving and that her “family friend” came and picked up the item, but she didn’t know her phone number.
With the “family friend’s” name. Myself and my team of detectives (aka mom bloggers) were able to track down this new suspect’s address, phone number, facebook page even her children’s names,birthdates and baby daddy’s name.
Long story short. This “family friend” said that *Mary showed her a website that showed how to sign up to take surveys with companies. She paid a $50 sign up fee and the website offered bonus pamphlets to new members. One of the pamphlets was entitled “How To Get Products For Free” and it went on to explain about how to email companies, and even provided sample emails to copy and paste. This pamphlet supposedly provided a list of websites that you could say that you wrote for, which included Busy Mom. This woman was never able to send me a copy of the pamphlet and who knows if there even is such a thing, but if there is- we need to get our hands on it and the people who run the website that provided it.
Lesson to learn: every blogger should have a contact form on their website or list their official email address. Include any writers you may have and their email addresses as well. Even better, use the email account associated with your domain name. PR Reps and businesses: only contact bloggers through their contact form or the email listed on their website. If you receive a pitch from someone claiming to be a “writer” or even the owner of a certain website, go check the website for their name and see what (and if) they have written any articles for the site. This is another reason to develop relationships with bloggers you want to work with.
Final Lesson: Don’t break the law. If I’m understanding right, this qualifies as theft and fraud. Even if you are not caught, karma will come back to get you. FIND SOME MORALS. I am so sick of dealing with hackers and people who steal. You will get nowhere in life and you especially won’t be earning any points with “The Big Guy” up above.
** We can all be rest assured, Busy Mom was the only blog she used to steal from a company, because she has now started her own blog in which she is pitching companies** Cough, Cough
Update to some questions and concerns (I love how some people try to stir up controversy when the whole point was to alert others to be aware):
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What has happened to these two women, where they charged?
An invoice is currently being sent to both women and if the bill is not paid, the baby company will be going forth with legal action.
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These seems a little excessive, even stalking or vigilantism.
I was really dumbfounded by the whole situation. After finding the woman’s address and phone number, I searched for a photo to see if this was a house or a business. I called her number ready for her to tell me it was some mistake. I did not expect for this to turn out how it did (someone actually stealing).
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What happened to innocent before proven guilty?
I wrote about this to encourage other bloggers and companies to take precautions. I never “outed” either women and didn’t even use their real names. There won’t even be an “innocent” or “guilty” verdict if the bill is paid. Mary and the other woman both admitted there guilt and offered to pay, probably in hopes that no charges would be pressed.
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How are the two women related, do you even know if they were in on it together?
This incident happened twice, one with them claiming to be a writer for Busy Mom and the second incident they claimed to be the actual owner. Both instances, the product was sent to the same address. Mary is the Grandma of the other woman’s baby.
Comment by Jayme on 12 May 2010:
It really sucks that people would stoop to this, but thank you so much for blogging about it and making us aware!
Comment by Firefly on 12 May 2010:
Wow, that really is scary! Thanks for blogging about this!
Comment by Jessica Warrick on 12 May 2010:
Wow thank you so much for informing us of this. It really helps to know this information so that we dont get done the same way you got done. Hopefully no one has used my blog for this purpose.b ut im so new i doubt they have. i trying to get into the review world but dont know how to go about it.
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Comment by Valerie on 12 May 2010:
Wow, That suxs on so many levels! Now companys aren’t going to send stuff out, for fear its a scam!
Comment by Lorie Shewbridge on 12 May 2010:
This is just absolutely horrible!! I cannot believe these people would do this, that totally sucks! I’m glad you had the guts to confront that awful woman Mary and keep digging. Good for Tricia for helping you and for your other “detectives” also thanks for letting us know about it so we can all watch out.
Comment by Kat on 12 May 2010:
I came over from a Tweet about this.
Holy crap, I am shocked!
But thank you so much for posting about this, I am really just shocked and appalled, and honestly, I don’t think I would have been as nice as you dealing with those women, I probably would have spouted off a few choice words. haha
I’m really glad that you got it taken care of and I hope that those women pay for what they basically, stole from that company.
Just shocking.
Wow.
Comment by Jammie on 12 May 2010:
I am still in shock that these ladies did that… She obviously new how to throw a pitch letter, all it would have taken was a bit of time and hard work to get a site of her own and do it legit… I just do not understand people.
Comment by hairstyles for girls on 12 May 2010:
What a nightmare! I hope “Mary” has learned a lesson from this and won’t do it agin. Everyone makes mistakes and maybe she thought her actions were justified in some way. Hopefully she can change her life for the better.
Comment by Cindy on 12 May 2010:
OH, would you, could you email me the link to her blog so I can boycott it? I won’t make a stink or anything, but I don’t want to help such a snot, either.
Comment by Kasandria on 12 May 2010:
This whole thing was not only creepy and scary, but a wake up call. Not everyone is who they say they are online. Thanks for sharing Emily!
Kas
Comment by Amy from Resourceful Mommy...or AM I.... on 12 May 2010:
I have on more than one occasion received an e-mail like this: “Hope you enjoyed the XYZ we sent you – can’t wait to read your post!” and have, quite frankly, just ignored them. Like most bloggers, I receive a gazillion random pitches a day and tend to lump the “Did you like e-mails” in with the “I want to pay you twenty-five cents to put a link on your site for me” e-mails.
I won’t be ignoring them anymore!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for writing this post. And as I once said to a famous screen-shotting blogger, when we’re all done reviewing products and tweeting, we ought to volunteer at the local police department finding creeps on the internet. We’d be able to track those losers down in a heartbeat…
Comment by Linda @ My Trendy Tykes on 12 May 2010:
There’s no telling what else these chicks scored.
CR-A-ZY!
Comment by Kristina on 12 May 2010:
Wow! Thank you so much for telling us about this experience!
Kristina
Comment by Lindsay on 12 May 2010:
This is just sad. I wish you’d post her blog and/or the pamphlet and its site. I’m sorry that happened to you!
Comment by Emily on 12 May 2010:
Comment by tracy@bookroomreviews on 12 May 2010:
Great thing you did to turn something terrible into helping others Emily. Thank you for the warnings and I hope PR will be more careful and get to know us and our blog too.
Comment by JamieAnne on 12 May 2010:
Wow. Just Wow. I guess it is not hard to believe that people will take advantage of you if they can, but that was really bold!
I’m impressed that you were able to track her down.
Good job and thanks for spreading the word. I’m a baby blogger still, but I would hate to have someone claim to be me.
Comment by Gena on 12 May 2010:
Oh wow Emily! I am sorry his has happened to you and what a joke! Seriously sad! I’d love to see what companies actually want to work with someone that is so immoral. Just Sayin!
Comment by Robin on 12 May 2010:
Hopefully, this is the end of the saga, but somehow I think this won’t be the last time someone pulls a stunt like this.
I think sometimes people believe review bloggers are
getting “handouts”. Little do they realize the amount of time and effort it really takes, to run one of these blogs.
Comment by Crystal @ Simply Being Mommy on 12 May 2010:
You are too nice, Emily! I would have been like Trisha and outed her. I’m just glad the MomDot gals were able to help with all their research
Comment by GeorgiaMist on 12 May 2010:
Scary. I do have myself, my daughter, and PR address on my website but I WILL be making a contract / contact page now!
Thank you for the head’s up!
Comment by Joan Penfold on 12 May 2010:
Wow that sucks that there are dumb assess like that out there! I am glad you found them out.
Comment by sarah on 12 May 2010:
so sorry you are dealing with this. Those ladies have great detective skills.Glad you are getting things solved
Comment by shari on 12 May 2010:
I’m sorry that you had to go through all this, but thanks so much for bringing awareness about this scam. The whole situation really is unbelieveable
Comment by barb on 12 May 2010:
That must be the dumbest criminal I have ever heard of! So many ways to track her down easily! I want some PR love myself but I to do such a thing is just horrifying! Good thing you caught her early on!
Comment by Creative Junkie on 12 May 2010:
I seriously could not believe my eyes as I was reading that thread at momdot. And holy shit … don’t mess with momdotters! You’ll get your ass handed to you seven ways to Sunday! (whatever that means)
Glad you got to the bottom of it and yep, I cannot believe the audacity of people.
Comment by LuAnn Morgan on 12 May 2010:
This is absolutely awful. It amazes me the lack of scruples people have nowadays. Why didn’t they just set up their own blog and request items for review? Ridiculous!
Comment by Dania on 12 May 2010:
As I wrote on the blog I found your story on, Emily, there is a small, wretched little place in hell reserved for scum like this. I wholeheartedly believe that the pamphlet this woman alleges she received actually does exist. For goodness sake, you can get pamphlets with detailed instructions on how to build a bomb, why not one on how to run a scam by using review blogs.
Comment by Kristie on 12 May 2010:
I couldn’t believe this as I was watching it unfold. But I believe you handled it so well! And I’m thankful that the scammers didn’t cause any more harm.
Comment by Tonia on 12 May 2010:
It’s amazing the lengths some people will go to, to commit fraud. Thanks for the tips.
Comment by Paula on 12 May 2010:
I can not believe the crazies in this world! I have a hard time pitching honestly!
Comment by Cindi @ Moomette's Magnificents on 12 May 2010:
Glad to see you got everything straightened out ~ the PD would be so happy to hear about this, and it’s good that there are people like you and and other honest bloggers to self-police.
Comment by DARLA KIDDER on 12 May 2010:
The lengths to which someone would sink so low to get something for free.Shame Shame.
Comment by Erin Pyle (@erinjeany) on 13 May 2010:
I commented over at Momdot, but I figured I would post it here too. lol
Wow.
I can’t imagine someone having the audacity to even TRY that.
I agree with Trisha. Between the police and my attorney, I would have not been NEARLY as nice with them.
At some point you have to think they would have stopped and considered that what they were doing is WRONG? Illegal? ..or maybe not. And this person has a blog now? um… So she is going to basically get rewarded for being stupid by knowing how to do it now. That’s encouraging. We all got to where we are with our blogs because of HARD HARD work. Nobody gave me a freaking pamphlet.
Thank you for sharing this story with us. And sorry that you have to go through this. Unbelievable! I will certainly be passing it on.
Eventually if there really is this illusive pamphlet, one of us will find it. Then the shit will really hit the fan. I hope they’re prepared with a huge legal department. Or they are going to be doing an awful lot of praying.
Comment by Elizabeth on 13 May 2010:
This makes me sick. I know there are terrible people out there, but you never want to believe that this kind of thing could happen to you.
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Comment by Misty on 13 May 2010:
wow. how is she even able to set up her own blog. she should be facing criminal charges!
-Misty
Comment by Laura on 13 May 2010:
Oh, now that is a new low. It amazes me how stupid people can be to think they can get away with crap like this. I’m always hesitant to send out product…and this gives me even more reason to be cautious! Good for you for finding the people involved!!!
Comment by Rhonda Martin on 13 May 2010:
This doesn’t surprise me because a thief is a thief is a thief and they will do everything and anything to get what they want without having to do the work. It all boils down to that they are LAZY and not a very good character. Sorry this happened to you because you work very hard at what you do. I hope that the company that she frauded in your name prosecutes to the fullest extent of the law~!!!
Comment by 3boyzmom on 13 May 2010:
OK…this is one scantless chick!!!! I think you should say her blog so no PR people actually send her products!!!! I can’t believe she’s now pitching people for her own blog!!! Do tell the blog so we can all go give her our two cents!!!!!!
That really makes it bad for those of us that actually work hard to review and help promote products for our readers!
Comment by smilinggreenmom on 13 May 2010:
OMGosh! I just cannot believe this happened! The thought of something like this happening would have never crossed my mind…I am so glad you posted about it and that you were able to solve the mystery
Nice Work!
Comment by Malia on 13 May 2010:
What I find really sad about this is, it takes some skill and smarts and cunning to accomplish fraud of this nature. Yes, they were stupid enough to get caught BUT to set the scheme up in the first place means they have some brains. Imagine what they could do if they used their brains for good will instead of breaking the law? People like this could be solving world issues but instead, they’re just trying to get stuff for free. So sad.
Pingback by Is Someone Using Your Blog Name To Get Free Products? | Barefoot Mommies on 13 May 2010:
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Comment by LindsayDianne on 13 May 2010:
I can’t believe these morons used their own addresses.
Comment by Lynn on 13 May 2010:
How horrible! I’m really appalled sometimes at what lengths some people will go to. Glad you got it cleared up.
Comment by Honey on 13 May 2010:
I can’t even believe that someone would do this. The nerve of some people. Good advice! Thank you for sharing.
Blessings
Honey
Comment by Janine (@twincident) on 13 May 2010:
Holy Cow! I mean, I’m wondering if this is really the first instance of this. I’m guessing it’s not. Crazy, crazy. Good for you and your team of detectives (sign me up for the next mission).
And good for you for being brave and confronting her.
I hope we get to the bottom of it!
Comment by karissa on 13 May 2010:
That is insane. People can be so horrible. I am so frustrated by this.
Comment by Kathy on 13 May 2010:
I hope you press charges. If you find her website, I hope you will also post it (if you can, legally) because I for one would like to know where *not* to go online. It scares me that I could stumble across it sometime and not even know that it’s that nasty woman. I’m glad you got it straightened out. I read about it on the Aubut blog.
Comment by Lauralee Hensley on 13 May 2010:
In this me, me, me world, I can believe there are awful people out there who could want to and will do this type of crime. I’m just sorry you had to get caught in the middle of their selfishness.
Couldn’t you sue them for defamation of character, as this could have tarnished your company’s rep with the aforementioned business?
Comment by Aleksandra N on 13 May 2010:
That’s absolutely ridiculous! So sorry it happened to you. It angers me that there are people out there giving mommy bloggers a bad name. If only that woman put as much time and effort into a JOB she could have enough money to buy the same products and then some.
Comment by Virginia from Lady V dZine on 13 May 2010:
Unbelievable, the depths to which some people will stoop. Thanks for sharing your experience to help others avoid it.
Comment by Heather on 13 May 2010:
I hope this incident encourages others to be careful with their pitches and products. Companies really can’t be too careful. This really is a case of ‘one bad apple’…
Comment by Sarah B on 13 May 2010:
WOW! The nerve of some folks! I’m glad you were able to get everything straightened out. I’m a review blogger and have worked hard to build my site. How frustrating to have someone rip you off! Hoping, whoever she is, that she is held accountable for her theft and fraud!
Comment by Kel on 13 May 2010:
That is completely insane! I can’t believe how dishonest people can be. Thank you for blogging about this so that the rest of us can be on the look out.
Comment by Shari on 13 May 2010:
This sucks because I am one of those people who have just started a blog, and have been wondering how to go about legitimately testing out some products. I think it would be fun! I have done some product reviews for products I have purchased, just to get some practice at it. Now someone is out there stealing your credibility, and product too. Some people really suck.
Comment by Kadi Prescott @DigitalKadi on 13 May 2010:
Amen. This is a terrible crime! My friend Bridget found a woman on Facebook who was stealing her pictures and saying that is was her family. She would use different names for each kid (she has 5) but would play like she was Bridget. It was uber weird. What is wrong with people? LOL
Comment by Pepper on 13 May 2010:
I had heard about this but no details. It’s sad that people can find a way to manipulate anything to there own gain. I’m really glad that you shared your experience with others so that we can learn what to watch out for!
Comment by Shan @ Last Shreds Of Sanity on 14 May 2010:
Even though I know this happened, I still am shocked by it. I guess I do still hang on to the hope that everyone is not out to scam their neighbor. But this incident has killed that little hope of mine.
This is what happens when The Free Range stupid are allowed to breed and roam in public.
Oh and have internet access..
PS: I did my own post about this. It’s sure to piss someone off.
Comment by courtney on 14 May 2010:
i just came across this post.. this is crazy!! i want to know what blog this lady is running!! this is disgusting! did she pay?
Comment by Natalie J. Vandenberghe on 14 May 2010:
I am not a blogger. I recently started entering contests on FB and Twitter and, in my eagerness, maybe didn’t pay as good attention as I should. How will I be able to identify a fraudulent site/offer? I work for a Law Enforcement Agency and it would surprise me very much if these women are arrested/charged/convicted. The theft of product is obvious, but what about identity theft (which you should be able to pursue)? Hopefully the company involved has the funds and legal backup to pursue those two civilly and criminally. I feel bad for you and other legitimate bloggers, although I’m glad you discovered this. Maybe it will deter other like-minded scumbags from attempting to do similar unethical things. If there is a way you can let us know about her blog, I would appreciate it. I feel naive and vulnerable. and I’m mad someone is spoiling this for so many. Best wishes for the future.
Comment by Mel on 16 May 2010:
Wow, I am so sorry this happened to you! That is totally insane. They have some nerve doing that to begin with! I think you handles this well. I honestly wouldn’t have been able to be as nice.
Comment by Peggy Gorman on 16 May 2010:
WOW!! That is just sad and I am so glad that you took care of it!
Comment by physician assistant on 19 May 2010:
Pretty nice post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed browsing your blog posts. In any case I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you write again soon!
Comment by BrendaLea on 29 May 2010:
Thanks for bringing this to our attention. I never would have thought someone would do such a thing. Wow! You an bet that I will keep my eye open and hope this does not happen to anyone else. Thanks for the heads up! Karma can be a b*&#@
Comment by Lucretia Pruitt on 29 May 2010:
Echoing through other blogs I’m finally catching up on this. How horrific!!
The sad part is that someone – ANYONE – would think that lying to a company is a good way to “get something for free”. Someone is always paying for it… in this case? Our community pays for it with our reputations being sullied.
Sorry this happened to you hon. Thanks for posting about it the way you did.
Comment by Amy on 3 June 2010:
WOW!! That is just sad and I am so glad that you took care of it!
Comment by Rachel @ Busy Mommy Media on 11 June 2010:
That is disgusting. It’s stories like this that make PR firms and companies question the professionalism of mom bloggers. Thanks for blogging about this and making us aware of it.